The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-02-26


for music that delighted the gruff old pro
fessor who came twice week from New
York to assist and superintend the other
music-teachers. She kept earnestly at
work, and in two years time none could
have recognized in the self-possessed gentle
woman who did the honors of Luke Dingess'
| table the raw and timid country girl The
grub had gone through the chrysalis state
and emerged with gay-colored wings.
Luke Dingess was proud of his beautiful
| niece And she-was she happy! She was
but she sighed sometimes for the freedom
of the mountains, and she wondered what
had become of the Prince in her fairy tale
And so the days wore on, and Acta was in
her twentieth year. AS the acknowledged
heiress of the banker she was much courted
by the gilded youth. But no sutton met with
favor. They were masquerading lackeys-
mere dandies She felt that the real Prince
had not come. Her champion of the court
house-where was he? Was the romance
of her life to fade out as the romances of
many have faded, and leave no signl Or
was the hero to prove a copper captain! At
| last he came.
She had never heard that voice but once,
and then in three words only; but its bugle
tones had never been forgotten.
Her uncle came home one day and said:
Acta, l want you to look your prettiest.
One of the houses heaviest depositors,
young Frank Dudley, has just come home
| from Europe, and Ihave invited him to dine
| with me to-day. He is pearl among men
not fool, nor butterfly, nor gabblefS
and not thirty Some of my swans, you
| have told me, are geese; but this one is
not"
''All knots, dear uncle, and not hard to
unite. But what are the positive qualities
of this paragon"
He is rich, handsome, agreeable and an
excellent tallier However, your his match
in all that"
| A few minutes previous to the dinner hour
| Acta descended to the drawing room in all
the luster Of fall dress to see this newcomer,
who had arrived little before. As she en-
tered Mr. Dudley arose and was formally
presented. One glance was enough. The
| place seemed to move around her and for
moment her usual self-possesslon fed 1t
was her hero at last!
AS fer Dudley, he seemed as embarrassed
as she-why he could not tell She was a
stranger, but her beauty and grace fairly
dazzled him. While in Europeh he had heard,
through common acquaintance, of his rich
bankers niece, and they had spoken of her
to see woman of the world worldly, with
that well-bred condescension which borders
on arrogance, but here was blushing, half
timid beauty, with the color coming and 60
ing on her checks and a strange light in her
dark eyes-the glorifed ideal of a poets
dream. He Was enraptured and dazed. The
Travelled and accomplished man of the world
stammeredan and hesitated like ahalf-ignorant
schoolboy. Where were the wonderful con-
| versational powers of which the banker had
spoken.
But they both recovered themselves. AL
though neither talked much, what each said
won the others admiration. All how witty
and wise are the simplest words that fall
from lips Of youth and beauty! And how
much wittier and wiser they seem when we
are prepossessed in favor of the one who
speaks. Pearls fell from her mouth and
diamonds from his
Frank was a great favorite with old
Dingess, who had known his father well
and he drew from the young man deal
about his travel abroad, while Acta listened
in delightful maze. And so tie dinner
passed off. 1t was very good one, but
] Dingess only enjoyed it. Prank could not
| tell what he ate, or if he had eaten at All
The young man fingered, forgot all about
an engagement at the club, and staid to tea.
1t was midnight when he got away, and old
Dingess was not little astonished at the
fervor of Acta's goodnight kiss. But the
wooing begun so auspiciously did not get
along without some checks. Acta grew
tmid. She feared that she had made I'M
maidenly advances and drew back, clothing
| herself in an iron coat of reserve. Frank
noted the change He was very deeply hit
! nr,l ha1i t-nl ha I,r
attachment soon became serious and her
manner brought him to the edge of des-
pair. Both stormented themselves with
doubts and fears, and both, with tremu-
lous dlsmay, felt themselves drifting
farther apart.
Poor Acta! What was the splendor Of
her life now! She wished herself back in
the mountains. AS for Dudley, he grew
pale and looked worried He contracted a
habit of blushing when spoken to suddenly.
One day friend noticed it, dudley" he
said, you'd better sec a doctor. Itlooks as
If something was the matter with your
heart" Dudley said he thought there was
Glove will find out way" says the old
song.
The two met frequently. At some place
or other they were crossing each others
was easy and uncOnstrained, but when
| Frank visited the Dingess house they both
relapsed into formally.
The old uncle was an interested looker-on
He was quite anxious the two should make
match, but he was shrewd enough to
know that his interference would mar his
own purpose
| One day Frank called, but not to see Acta
| He desired to consult the uncle about the
| proposed purchase of some stocks, and
| thought the house a better place than the
bank. The footman, who knew-servants
soon take in all those things-that he was
pronounced admirer of the young lady of
the house, showed him into the library
Frank went in, thinking he should find the
banker there, but found Acta, who was
looking intently and admiringly at some
thing she held in her hand. In her agta-
ton at his sudden coming she let this drop.
1t described a curve and lit at his feet.
Frank picked it up. 1t was his own photo
graph.
He trembled with excitement and she
| avoided his glance The incident Inspired